Quote: "I think it’s going to be emotional day. I run for the American Liver Foundation and my uncle Bob McMahon, ...

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Taunton area Boston Marathon runners

Name: Meg Reilly

Age: 30

Community: Taunton

Quote: "I think it’s going to be emotional day. I run for the American Liver Foundation and my uncle Bob McMahon, of East Taunton, who received a life saving liver transplant 10 years ago. There is a real push to take back the finish line. I just feel really lucky to go out there. I finished the race a few minutes before the bombing last year. I saw the explosions. I feel very lucky to go back out there."

Name: Maria Petrelli

Age: 32

Community: Rockland

Quote: "There will be even more people watching and supporting the marathon this year. The bad guys can’t stop us. They picked the wrong group. Boston Marathon runners are a very strong-knit and strong-minded group. I pray that it’s a safe day and everything goes smoothly and also some good weather. I can’t wait to cross that finish line on Boylston Street. It’s been a goal of mine for years and to do that will be surreal, and I’m sure there will be tears in my eyes, for sure."

Name: Kevin Brennan

Age: 37

Community: Taunton/Lakeville

Quote: "I’m running in honor of my stepmother, Jayne Brennan, who passed away at the age of 52. She was the "glue" that held our family together and the person that everyone went to for guidance and advice, myself included. Her suggestions were always thoughtful and appropriate. We all miss her. I personally miss her most for my three boys, Kaden, Kole and Kollin, ages 6, 4 and 1. … Ultimately, I hope that my participation in the Boston Marathon will meaningfully contribute to Dana Farber’s efforts to achieve a world without cancer and someday help save the lives of other’s loved ones. As of April 1, we’ve raised just over $10,000."

Name: Jillian Corrao

Age: 33

Community: Taunton

Quote: "This year, it’s not only going to be the goal to complete the race, but to stand up and continue doing what we love, despite all the tragedy that took place last year, and to do it for all the people who can’t do it. A lot was taken from people last year. But one thing you can’t take is the spirit of the running community. … The best way you can carry on the tradition and honor those who are affected is to continue on and enjoy it for those who can’t be there to enjoy it. They will never take the wind out of our sails."

Name: Elizabeth Dias

Age: 48

Community: Taunton

Quote: "We are not going to be scared off. I have heard a lot about that. A lot of people have asked me if I’m scared to do it. I’m not. Even if I was not running this year, I would go back to the same place (where I watched near the finish line last year) to do it all over. … I am so lucky to be able to be part of this year’s marathon. It’s going to be an amazing experience. This is definitely once in a lifetime thing for me. It’s just about taking that day back and finishing the way it was suppose to finish last year."

Name: Jason Dunham

Age: 36

Community: Taunton

Quote: "Immediately after those tragic days (after the Boston Marathon last year), I thought that it would be great to run the marathon this year. However, I was new to running … Watching all that stuff last year … it made me first just want to do something about it …but I didn’t really plan on running until the opportunity fell right in front of me. Without a doubt, the tragedy motivated me. I was very upset."

Name: Ashleigh Cornell

Age: 29

Community: Taunton

Quote: "I was so sad when the bombing happened at the Boston Marathon last year. I cried for days. ... It just ruined the experience of it as a runner in the marathon. … It definitely does inspire me to run this year again. The marathon has a new meaning. During my first marathon, it was all about the time. I just wanted an amazing time. … But now it’s about the experience and being part of it and having this tradition continue. I’m excited to be a part of it in that aspect. I’m not worried about my time. I feel pride."

Taunton’s Elizabeth Dias sat 600 feet away from the bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon last year, watching all day while dining with friends at a Boylston Street restaurant before scared bystanders began rushing away from the scene and others scrambled to aid the victims.

A runner in her free time, Dias said the event had a tremendous impact on her, and when the opportunity arose for her to run in the 2014 Boston Marathon, she decided it was time to take a stand against the fear that the bombing evoked and join the race.

“I thought I’d take the challenge and honor the victims,” said Dias, a first-time marathon runner at age 48. “It’s a lot of work, and it’s time consuming. But here I am. I was there. I experienced that day. … This is definitely a once in a lifetime thing for me. It’s going to be an amazing experience to run this year.”

Many of the runners from Taunton who are competing in this year’s Boston Marathon said that they are motivated to participate because of the bombing last year, which took three lives and injured 264 others, including 16 victims who lost limbs. There are 19 runners from Taunton who have signed up this year, along with 15 from Dighton, Berkley and Rehoboth.

Dias said after the Boylston Street finish line area was evacuated, she became glued to the news like everyone else.

“I was just sort of thinking about everything happening that day, the craziness of that whole day,” said Dias, who has worked as a professional buyer for companies like Hasbro. “Later, seeing what happened, and Martin Richard, the little boy who was killed … it was one of those days you don’t forget. One thing that haunts me is the family that went there to see someone run and they went home without a son and a daughter without a leg, just because they went out for a family day.”

Afterward, Dias learned about One Run for Boston, a cross-country race that she took part in last year and again this year when it was organized again, to benefit victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

From that, she made a connection with a woman who was part of a team of marathon runners, who didn’t get to finish the race last year. The charity group from Newton-Wellesley Hospital had an extra spot in the marathon, which they offered to her.

“It’s time to take the day back and make it belong to Boston and the runners again,” Dias said. “It’s almost like a closure thing. I remember being very angry. I remember being angry that these two people had just ruined that tradition. I just felt like … I want to do this. Even before I had been offered the bid, my friends and I decided right that day of the bombing, we decided next year we are going to the same place. We are not going to be scared off.”

Page 2 of 3 - Jason Dunham, a Taunton resident who works as a customer service representative, had similar feelings about running in this year’s Boston Marathon.

“Watching all that stuff last year … it made me first just want to do something about it,” said Dunham, 36, who is also running in his first marathon, raising money for the Greg Hill Foundation. “And the thought crossed my mind that I could run … but I didn’t really plan on it until the opportunity fell right in front of me. Without a doubt, the tragedy motivated me. I was very upset.”

Dunham, who was new to running before the bombing, said that he was angry about the bombing — and remains angry about it — but decided to channel his energy for a good cause. He started running 5K races and working to improve his stamina every day. Dunham said that the fundraising and training has been a life-changing journey.

“I’ve been blown away by people’s generosity,” Dunham said. “I feel very grateful that I’m physically able and lucky to do this. It’ll probably be the biggest Boston Marathon ever.”

Jillian Corrao, 33, of Taunton, was one of the runners unable to finish the race last year after the bombs went off.

“It’s certainly going to be an emotional race this year, said Corrao, who made it to the 22-mile mark last year before she was stopped. “It’s not only going to be the goal to complete a marathon, but to stand up and continue doing what we love, despite all the tragedy that took place last year, and to do it for all the people who can’t do it. A lot was taken from people last year. But one thing you can’t take is the spirit of the running community.”

Corrao said that she is looking forward to finally completing her first marathon and paying tribute to the victims of the bombing in her own way.

“I hope all the people who went last year are there and happy and able to enjoy the experience, despite what it was last year,” she said. “The best way you can carry on the tradition and honor those who are affected is to continue on and enjoy it for those who can’t be there to enjoy it. They will never take the wind out of our sails.”

Maria Petrelli, a guidance counselor at Martin Middle School, was even closer to the finish line last year before the race was called. She was at the 25.5-mile mark, less than a mile away from the finish line, when the tragedy occured.

Page 3 of 3 - Petrelli said she is running in honor of victims of cancer, in addition to the nurses, doctors, volunteers, and everyone that helped out, all the people who died and the victims who lost limbs and continue to struggle.

“The community came together after the bombing and showed what Boston really is,” said Petrelli, 32. “It came together and it can’t be stopped. And even in such tragedy, triumph comes through and I feel like the ‘Boston Strong’ saying has really brought everyone together.”